@knowles2 Whilst the lack of infrastructure and manufacturing plays some part what we have with online stores is server space, perpetual rental, SDK funding and the like.
The chances of being able to walk into a store (if you can find one) and buying a new copy of Wild Arms from the PS1 are pretty slim yet I can log onto the store on my PSP/Vita/PS3/PS4/PS5 and buy it.
I live in hope it's Microsoft. They'd dump their entire back catalog on Gamepass in one day whereas Sony would release one Disney-themed title every 2 months and leave the rest to rot.
Destiny 2 started out great because it massively streamlined a lot of game mechanics and added in an action packed, focussed campaign.
Fast forward a few years and they're back to square one with a game collapsing under the weight of its own lore and mechanics.
What is needed is a reset. I still think Destiny can be salvaged as a property but remade as a single player RPG like Starfield. Set it across the whole solar system, allow us to fly the ships and tell a new story. Heck, send us back in time to when the traveller just prior to the collapse when the human race is at its zenith to prevent the Darkness from ever winning.
It was never the bulk that was the issue but the height. I would have actually bought one had they made it significantly shorter so it actually fits under my TV
And that £3.5bn was the money needed to stop Microsoft buying Bungie and getting them to rebuild Halo. I'm not for consolidation practices but let's not pretend Sony aren't as underhanded as Microsoft in all this.
@thefourfoldroot1 the layoffs and cancellations make me think that the GaaS idea won't ever pan out. PS5 is selling like hotcakes based on classic single player Playstation titles rather than the promise of a Fortnite competitor; whilst the layoffs are a shame they are also probably cuts of an overhiring of staff for projects that no longer exist.
This was inevitable. Players only have so much time and the market is saturated as it is. Fortnite doesn't get the attention it once did from Epic having morphed from a live service title to more of a bi-monthly update one. They've not for example done a good live event scenario in over 18 months.
I would argue strongly that Final Fantasy VII is in fact the worst PS1 FF game. Despite still being a bloody good title in and of itself (don’t forget I said that!) VIII and IX had much more believable, cohesive worlds and IMO better battle systems.
No effort is made in VII to really explain how the heck an evil utility company came to replace all world governments and why their endgame was in fact cheaper bills for their customers.
@Smash41 It would be alright if they actually wheeled out some decent titles but the selection of PSP and PS1 games has been terrible.
It’s only games they already sell (sold?) on the PS3/PSP store. I can understand why the likes of MGS or Final Fantasy haven’t come out but how about Alundra, WipEout or Soul Reaver?
Converting people who already paid for online services into subs was pretty easy as on the whole they are getting a better deal. Expanding that service is another thing entirely. We can see by the sales of Sea of Stars that people still like to own their games rather than perpetually renting them.
As Shigeru Miyamoto once said: “A delayed game is eventually good, but a rushed game is forever bad.”
I think this maxim is still true even in an age of instant updates. I can’t think of one live service title that was crap at launch that eventually became something actually worth playing.
Even the poster boy for post-launch updates. No Man’s Sky was still a good game at launch; it just wasn’t what was promised. That’s a very different thing. If it wasn’t for Hello Games’ push to make it better it would have been another indictment of entitled fans.
It’s probably worth mentioning that if you already bought these games in the past on PSP or PS3 then they’re available to re-download for free as your licences carry over.
Despite being a big name franchise in gaming and always being marketed well FF is still a niche title. 3m sales is pretty bloody good on a console the majority of players are buying just to play the next iterations of Call of Duty, FIFA and Madden on.
This isn’t a knock on those players; it’s just PlayStation is a mass market brand. Had the game come out on the Switch I imagine it would have easily don’t 5m by now because those players buy into more niche titles.
Given Sony is going to flood the market with a slimmed down £400 model in a couple of months a lot of that scalped stock for the old models is going to be worth a lot less.
The need for it to be always online was enough for me to ignore it. However games like this get balance updates all the time and you have to roll with the punches. It’s like in a war game when your favourite unit gets nerfed. You either act like a little kid and rage quit or you grow up and take it on the chin.
@djlard If I can enjoy the book on a weekly basis with some friends on the other side of the country/globe with a plot that reacts to our own input as much as changes every few months, why not?
Not a lot as it happens. Microsoft know that the CoD market on PS is massive and will be wanting some returns on that deal.
At the same time there isn’t really anything else from Activision they’re going to miss. Overwatch 2? Crash Bandicoot? Spyro the Dragon? Do me a favour.
Microsoft’s big play was King, because $80bn is a small slice of the console pie but a big one on mobile. Those are the revenues they want streaming into their coffers.
What will be interesting is seeing if Sony retaliate. They already took away their only chance of redeeming Halo. I do wonder if they will start to sew up the Japanese market a little more. Square Enix have got to be awfully tempting. Promise to keep releasing games on Nintendo platforms and that will sail through regulation.
@Nepp67 Right? I’m not against it at all but unless it adds anything to the plot (say, Outlander) or adds something to flesh out a character (Game of Thrones) then what’s the point?
If it adds nothing to the story (as in this is to point out its some warped villain or something) then what’s even the point? It’s about as artistic as a porno.
Given how much they managed to shrink the boards in the current revision the new model might be smaller and cheaper as Sony pass the cost savings onto consumers.
I also wonder if they would release ‘PSFour’ to go alongside it?
@UltimateOtaku91 You reckon? I think they’d make a big effort to rebrand the Series S as a Sega console. Plenty of space for a nice orange swirl. They could have offered every retro Sega title as a Gamepass addition.
Microsoft still have themselves to blame. They wouldn’t let Square launch FFXIV on the Xbox because they didn’t want them to have a way around taking 30% of that sub fee which Sony were happy to accommodate, for example.
In that case it was a combination of MS burning that bridge and the 20% sales share of FFXV on Xbox. (Stats from UK, not Japan)
Microsoft could have done their homework. It took Nintendo 2 generations to recover from the loss of FFVII to the PS1.
Not unexpected at all. It sounds like they’ve gone back to the 16bit era of warring nations, dungeons and battles. VI is still considered the best in the series and it has no mini games, logical side quests and a compelling plot.
Some will see this as the series moving forward; I see it as throwing off the goofy shackles of the PS1 era once and for all.
It doesn’t even need live service titles. They could comfortably port the entire PSP library to mobile with save states, rewind/FF and touchscreen controls.
PPSSPP is perfectly playable on most Android devices and iOS would run it easily. Make every game free with an IAP unlock to get around piracy.
Then start putting some better retro titles on each month than Disney PS1 games nobody will play. They’re only porting over games that are on the PS3 store. How about Tomb Raider, WipEout, MGS or Parasite Eve?
I know Sony want to drip feed older titles from the PSN to the top tier but it wouldn’t kill them to offer some big PS1 titles, would it?
They’re just porting over games you can buy on the PS3. They’re sat on Suikoden 1+2, FF1-9, MGS, WipEout, Motörhead, Castlevania, Alundra, Front Mission 3, Parasite Eve 2 and a pile of other games.
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Re: Court Rules £5 Billion Lawsuit Against Sony Can Go Ahead, Following Years of 'Excessive' PS Store Prices
@Terra_Custodes Perhaps for modern titles. But Can I wander into a store and buy a new, sealed copy of Parasite Eve 2 for £9?
Re: Court Rules £5 Billion Lawsuit Against Sony Can Go Ahead, Following Years of 'Excessive' PS Store Prices
@knowles2 Whilst the lack of infrastructure and manufacturing plays some part what we have with online stores is server space, perpetual rental, SDK funding and the like.
The chances of being able to walk into a store (if you can find one) and buying a new copy of Wild Arms from the PS1 are pretty slim yet I can log onto the store on my PSP/Vita/PS3/PS4/PS5 and buy it.
Re: Court Rules £5 Billion Lawsuit Against Sony Can Go Ahead, Following Years of 'Excessive' PS Store Prices
Price of videogame in 2000: £60 for Perfect Dark or Majora's Mask on.N64.
Price of videogame in 2022: £60 for Horizon Forbidden West or Gran Turismo 7 on PS4
What did I miss?
Re: PlayStation's Mobile Games Studio Rebrands Following Multiple Departures
Dear Sony
You spent years making great games for a portable console. Buy the PPSSPP emulator, attach the PSP store and call it a day.
Re: SEGA Isn't Surprised That Companies Want to Acquire It
@Kevw2006 I was being sarcastic and pointing out how crappy Sony have been rolling out their PS1 catalog.
Some old Winnie the Pooh title or Parasite Eve 2?
Re: SEGA Isn't Surprised That Companies Want to Acquire It
I live in hope it's Microsoft. They'd dump their entire back catalog on Gamepass in one day whereas Sony would release one Disney-themed title every 2 months and leave the rest to rot.
Re: Interest in Destiny 2 Reportedly at an All-Time Low
Destiny 2 started out great because it massively streamlined a lot of game mechanics and added in an action packed, focussed campaign.
Fast forward a few years and they're back to square one with a game collapsing under the weight of its own lore and mechanics.
What is needed is a reset. I still think Destiny can be salvaged as a property but remade as a single player RPG like Starfield. Set it across the whole solar system, allow us to fly the ships and tell a new story. Heck, send us back in time to when the traveller just prior to the collapse when the human race is at its zenith to prevent the Darkness from ever winning.
Re: The First Photos of the PS5 Slim Are Circulating Online
It was never the bulk that was the issue but the height. I would have actually bought one had they made it significantly shorter so it actually fits under my TV
Re: Bungie CEO Laments 'Sad Day' for Sony Studio Following Layoffs
And that £3.5bn was the money needed to stop Microsoft buying Bungie and getting them to rebuild Halo. I'm not for consolidation practices but let's not pretend Sony aren't as underhanded as Microsoft in all this.
Re: Bungie CEO Laments 'Sad Day' for Sony Studio Following Layoffs
@thefourfoldroot1 the layoffs and cancellations make me think that the GaaS idea won't ever pan out. PS5 is selling like hotcakes based on classic single player Playstation titles rather than the promise of a Fortnite competitor; whilst the layoffs are a shame they are also probably cuts of an overhiring of staff for projects that no longer exist.
Re: PS5 Slim Officially Unveiled, Attachable Disc Drive, Launches November
Slim as in 'I lost 3ib by giving up one chocolate biscuit'.
It's only 5mm shorter than the old model and still too bloody tall
Re: Another High Profile Live Service Flop As SEGA Pulls the Plug on HYENAS Before Launch
This was inevitable. Players only have so much time and the market is saturated as it is. Fortnite doesn't get the attention it once did from Epic having morphed from a live service title to more of a bi-monthly update one. They've not for example done a good live event scenario in over 18 months.
Re: Community: Push Square Readers Narrow Down Best Game of All Time Vote to Two Classics
I would argue strongly that Final Fantasy VII is in fact the worst PS1 FF game. Despite still being a bloody good title in and of itself (don’t forget I said that!) VIII and IX had much more believable, cohesive worlds and IMO better battle systems.
No effort is made in VII to really explain how the heck an evil utility company came to replace all world governments and why their endgame was in fact cheaper bills for their customers.
Re: PS Plus Essential, Extra, Premium Price Increases Announced by Sony
@Smash41 It would be alright if they actually wheeled out some decent titles but the selection of PSP and PS1 games has been terrible.
It’s only games they already sell (sold?) on the PS3/PSP store. I can understand why the likes of MGS or Final Fantasy haven’t come out but how about Alundra, WipEout or Soul Reaver?
Re: PS Plus, Xbox Game Pass Spending Has Completely Plateaued in USA
Converting people who already paid for online services into subs was pretty easy as on the whole they are getting a better deal. Expanding that service is another thing entirely. We can see by the sales of Sea of Stars that people still like to own their games rather than perpetually renting them.
Re: Free-to-Play Fall Guys, Fortnite Competitor, Stumble Guys, Announced for PS5, PS4
“Spin the wheel for a chance…”
Loot box mechanics inbound then?
Say what you like about Fortnite’s battle pass but at least none of it is random
Re: Poll: Is 'Live Service' Becoming an Excuse to Release Unfinished Games?
As Shigeru Miyamoto once said: “A delayed game is eventually good, but a rushed game is forever bad.”
I think this maxim is still true even in an age of instant updates. I can’t think of one live service title that was crap at launch that eventually became something actually worth playing.
Even the poster boy for post-launch updates. No Man’s Sky was still a good game at launch; it just wasn’t what was promised. That’s a very different thing. If it wasn’t for Hello Games’ push to make it better it would have been another indictment of entitled fans.
Re: No Man's Sky Teases Next Major Update, Echoes, in 7-Year Anniversary Video
@KaijuKaiser Starfield is No Mans Sky x Destiny.
In Destiny you have superb gunplay but can’t fly the ships; in NMS the combat is kinda sucky.
Brought together and strained through Skyrim it could be something very special.
Re: You Can Now Buy PS Plus Premium Classics Tekken 2, Ridge Racer Type 4, More
It’s probably worth mentioning that if you already bought these games in the past on PSP or PS3 then they’re available to re-download for free as your licences carry over.
Re: PS Plus Premium Poised to Add Tekken 6, SoulCalibur: Broken Destiny
Are they available for sale?
Re: New PSP Trio All Feature Platinum Trophies on PS Plus Premium
But can I buy them selerately?
Re: Video of New PS5 Slim Model Posted Online
I thought there was just supposed to be one model with an external drive? That one has it built in.
What was the point of even ‘redesigning’ it?
Re: Assassin's Creed Mirage Returns to Series Roots, But Won't Ditch Cosmetic Microtransactions
I assume it will be a collection of outfits from previous titles like Altair and Ezio.
And whilst we are there they really need to remake the first game.
Re: Square Enix Bafflingly Backtracks on Final Fantasy 16 Sales, Blames 'Slow' PS5 Adoption
Despite being a big name franchise in gaming and always being marketed well FF is still a niche title. 3m sales is pretty bloody good on a console the majority of players are buying just to play the next iterations of Call of Duty, FIFA and Madden on.
This isn’t a knock on those players; it’s just PlayStation is a mass market brand. Had the game come out on the Switch I imagine it would have easily don’t 5m by now because those players buy into more niche titles.
Re: Yes, All Those Awesome Marvel's Spider-Man 2 PS5 Accessories Are Getting Scalped
Given Sony is going to flood the market with a slimmed down £400 model in a couple of months a lot of that scalped stock for the old models is going to be worth a lot less.
😂😂😂😂😂😂
Re: PS Plus Members Can Watch the Gran Turismo Movie Early
@Czar_Khastik You can, but you have to watch it 50 times first.
Re: Diablo 4 Devs Front Irate Fanbase in Frank Campfire Chat, 'We Know It's Bad, We Know It's Not Fun'
Don’t apologise to these infantilised fans. You only Make them worse.
Re: Gran Turismo Movie's Slick Second Trailer Hammers Home the True Story Angle
I imagine it won’t be more than an average movie but I’m looking forward to it all the same. It’s been a while since we had a good motorsport movie.
I liked the use of the fixed 3rd person camera on that police chase!
Re: Diablo 4's Huge Patch Backlash Prompts Damage Control Chat with Blizzard Devs
The need for it to be always online was enough for me to ignore it. However games like this get balance updates all the time and you have to roll with the punches. It’s like in a war game when your favourite unit gets nerfed. You either act like a little kid and rage quit or you grow up and take it on the chin.
Re: If Sony Does Ever Make a PS Vita 2, It'll Probably Need Replaceable Batteries
The PSP has replaceable batteries. Being able to take a few spare cells on a long trip was a godsend.
Re: Sony Is Increasing R&D Costs to Fuel Live Service Games, Report Claims
@djlard If I can enjoy the book on a weekly basis with some friends on the other side of the country/globe with a plot that reacts to our own input as much as changes every few months, why not?
Re: Sony Is Increasing R&D Costs to Fuel Live Service Games, Report Claims
@playstation1995 All the money that bankrolls the big tent pole titles comes what Sony takes in on IAP from other service titles.
Re: Reaction: What Happens to PlayStation if Microsoft Buys Activision Blizzard?
Not a lot as it happens. Microsoft know that the CoD market on PS is massive and will be wanting some returns on that deal.
At the same time there isn’t really anything else from Activision they’re going to miss. Overwatch 2? Crash Bandicoot? Spyro the Dragon? Do me a favour.
Microsoft’s big play was King, because $80bn is a small slice of the console pie but a big one on mobile. Those are the revenues they want streaming into their coffers.
What will be interesting is seeing if Sony retaliate. They already took away their only chance of redeeming Halo. I do wonder if they will start to sew up the Japanese market a little more. Square Enix have got to be awfully tempting. Promise to keep releasing games on Nintendo platforms and that will sail through regulation.
Re: Larian Studios Gets TikTok Ban For Bear-Form Druid Sex Scene in Baldur's Gate 3
@Nepp67 Right? I’m not against it at all but unless it adds anything to the plot (say, Outlander) or adds something to flesh out a character (Game of Thrones) then what’s the point?
Re: Larian Studios Gets TikTok Ban For Bear-Form Druid Sex Scene in Baldur's Gate 3
If it adds nothing to the story (as in this is to point out its some warped villain or something) then what’s even the point? It’s about as artistic as a porno.
Re: PlayStation Developer Firesprite Has Moved to a New Studio, and It Looks Expensive
Now can we get a new wipeout?
Re: PS5 Is €100 Off in Some European Countries, Suggesting Hardware Revision Is Coming
Given how much they managed to shrink the boards in the current revision the new model might be smaller and cheaper as Sony pass the cost savings onto consumers.
I also wonder if they would release ‘PSFour’ to go alongside it?
Re: SEGA and Bungie Were On Microsoft's Shopping List in 2020, Xbox Emails Show
@UltimateOtaku91 You reckon? I think they’d make a big effort to rebrand the Series S as a Sega console. Plenty of space for a nice orange swirl. They could have offered every retro Sega title as a Gamepass addition.
Re: UK Sales Charts: PS5 Exclusive Final Fantasy 16 Debuts at Number One
It does warm my heart a little to see the top 3 selling games in one week in 2023 be Final Fantasy, Legend of Zelda and Sonic the Hedgehog.
Re: Xbox Insinuates It Bought Bethesda to Block Starfield PS5 Console Exclusivity
Microsoft still have themselves to blame. They wouldn’t let Square launch FFXIV on the Xbox because they didn’t want them to have a way around taking 30% of that sub fee which Sony were happy to accommodate, for example.
In that case it was a combination of MS burning that bridge and the 20% sales share of FFXV on Xbox. (Stats from UK, not Japan)
Microsoft could have done their homework. It took Nintendo 2 generations to recover from the loss of FFVII to the PS1.
Re: Metal Gear Solid 4, 5, Peace Walker Reportedly in Master Collection Vol. 2
Honestly I’d like Ac!d and the Gameboy Color versions in there as well, if only as a portable Switch release.
Re: Final Fantasy 16 (PS5) - Final Fantasy's Triumphant Return to the Top
@Matroska It’s a completely original work of fiction. I like the newspaper but the Guardian would complain if all the characters had blue skin.
Re: Final Fantasy 16 (PS5) - Final Fantasy's Triumphant Return to the Top
Not unexpected at all. It sounds like they’ve gone back to the 16bit era of warring nations, dungeons and battles. VI is still considered the best in the series and it has no mini games, logical side quests and a compelling plot.
Some will see this as the series moving forward; I see it as throwing off the goofy shackles of the PS1 era once and for all.
Most welcome.
Re: Ex-Apple Exec Tasked with Spearheading PlayStation's Mobile Gaming Division Has Already Left
It doesn’t even need live service titles. They could comfortably port the entire PSP library to mobile with save states, rewind/FF and touchscreen controls.
PPSSPP is perfectly playable on most Android devices and iOS would run it easily. Make every game free with an IAP unlock to get around piracy.
Charge £8/$10 a pop and you’re golden.
Re: Final Fantasy 16 Dev Pleads for Cooperation As PS5 Game Leaks
1. It’s out in a week.
2. If you want to avoid spoilers, use some self control.
Re: Sony Eager to Ensure PS Plus Remains Relevant and Offers More Value
Then start putting some better retro titles on each month than Disney PS1 games nobody will play. They’re only porting over games that are on the PS3 store. How about Tomb Raider, WipEout, MGS or Parasite Eve?
Re: 27 PS Plus Extra, Premium Games Confirmed for Big June Update
@rpawlos15133 I’m all for new games but if they take forever to make pad the calendar with some cheapo remasters and rereleases.
Re: There's Growing Concern Over Persona Dev's Metaphor: ReFantazio Being an Xbox Exclusive
You’ve got Final Fantasy XVI out next week. Cut the Xbox some slack with an exclusive JRPG.
Re: PS Plus Premium Will Allow for PS5 Game Streaming in Future Update
And bringing it to mobile when?
Re: 27 PS Plus Extra, Premium Games Confirmed for Big June Update
I know Sony want to drip feed older titles from the PSN to the top tier but it wouldn’t kill them to offer some big PS1 titles, would it?
They’re just porting over games you can buy on the PS3. They’re sat on Suikoden 1+2, FF1-9, MGS, WipEout, Motörhead, Castlevania, Alundra, Front Mission 3, Parasite Eve 2 and a pile of other games.
And we get Herc’s Adventures.
Seriously Sony.